President Muhammadu Buhari; Senate President Ahmed Lawan; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; have been warned on the consequences of flouting an earlier restraining order.
The warning, which was also issued to Mrs. Lauretta Onochie and Chief Samuel Ogbuku, came from a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court told Buhari and the others that they risk a jail term in a notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court dated December 23, 2022.
‘’Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this order, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the notice read.
Also, the court ruled that the swearing in of Mrs Onochie and Ogbuku by President Buhari should be suspended.
The duo were screened and confirmed last week as Chairman and Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission respectively.
Earlier, the court ordered that the National Assembly to halt the screening and confirming of the nomination of Onochie and Ogbuku.
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Justice J. K. Omotosho had instructed that all actions on the matter be suspended pending the determination of the suit.
Among other things, the originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2294/2022 is seeking a restraining order on the National Assembly from screening and confirming the duo.
The matter was brought to the court by Chief Edward Ekpokpo Esq., Victor Wood and Mr Edward Omagbemi, who are challenging the nomination on behalf of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality.
The plaintiffs argued that it is the turn of the Itsekiri nationality to occupy the positions.
The first to sixth defendants in the suit are President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; the House of Senate, Mrs Lauretta Onochie and Chief Samuel Ogbuku.
The suit filed by Ama Etuwewe SAN & Co., demands that the provisions of the NDDC Act should be followed in the process.
It maintained that it is the turn of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality to produce the NDDC board chairman and MD as arguably the biggest oil-producing community in Delta State.
Adjourning the matter to January 11, 2023, for further hearing, the presiding judge, Justice J. K. Omotosho, upon reading the affidavit and hearing the counsel to the plaintiff, declared “That leave is hereby granted to the plaintiffs to serve the 5th and 6th defendants with the originating processes in this suit by substituted means to wit by advertising the processes in at least one national newspaper circulating within the jurisdiction of this to court and to deem the same as proper service.
“That an order is hereby made that no party in this suit shall take any step or act or action that may make the outcome of the pending motion on notice for injunction Dated and filed December 12, 2022, nugatory.
“That any act or step or action taken in this order to make the outcome of the said motion on notice dated and filed December 12, 2022, nugatory shall be a nullity.”
Despite the court order, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Onochie and Ogbuku as NDDC chairman and MD respectively.